J.J. Abrams has been conspicuously absent from the announced production teams of Star Wars: Episode VIII and the various standalone films, but there may still be a chance that he'll continue with the franchise after Star Wars: The Force Awakens. According to rumor mill instigator Latino Review, their sources have independently confirmed four different conversations between higher-ups naming Abrams as the "frontrunner" to direct Episode IX.

In Latino Review's words, "Despite his absence from the production team on the next installments, his commitment to other ongoing franchises and early rumors of disagreements between him and the Disney Team, there's a good chance that J.J. Abrams will be back to direct Star Wars: Episode IX.

"We can only report it as a rumor this far out, but those at Disney who have seen footage from The Force Awakens are very happy with what Abrams has delivered. J.J. himself has been vocal about how crazy the process has been, but has given equal time to his love of the series."

The fact that they themselves are calling it a "rumor" at this point means we should take it with the biggest of grains of salt, but this wouldn't be the most surprising news in the world. It would be slightly strange for Abrams to return to the franchise after letting another director take over, but it's possible that he's just too busy to helm any of the scheduled movies until Episode IX. That being said, there are also reports that Episode VIII director Rian Johnson has been tasked with the early treatment of Episode IX, which would make a lot more sense.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens comes out on December 18, while Episode IX is set to come out in 2019.